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The Audi emblem: four interlocking rings in a row

Generation

Audi A3 (8L)

Audi A3 (8L), 1996-2003

Produced
1996–2003
Code
8L
Designer
Dirk van Braeckel
Blue 1998 Audi A3 three-door hatchback photographed from the front three-quarter angle

Image credit

File
File:1998 Audi A3 Automatic 1.6 Front.jpg
Author (attribution required)
Vauxford

Body style

Powertrain

Drivetrain

Era

The Typ 8L was Audi’s first small car in nearly two decades, launched as a three-door-only hatchback to keep it visually distinct from its Volkswagen Golf Mk4 platform-mate, with a five-door added in 1999.[1] It shared its dashboard with the first-generation SEAT León.

No period kerb weight is recorded here. Wikipedia’s detailed per-engine specification table for this generation gives power, torque, 0-100 km/h time and top speed for every variant, but no weight figures, and the Typ 8L was never sold in Canada or the US, so the NHTSA Canadian Vehicle Specifications register (otherwise a reliable fallback for this site) has nothing on it either. The gap is left as a gap rather than filled with a later generation’s figure.

Overview

Manufacturer
Audi
Produced
1996–2003
Model code
8L
Designer
Dirk van Braeckel
Segment
C-segment (Europe) / Compact (US)
Positioning
Premium
Assembly
  • Ingolstadt, Germany
  • Győr, Hungary
  • Curitiba, Brazil (Volkswagen do Brasil)

Dimensions

Length
4,152 mm

Base A3. The S3 is 4,159 mm; recorded as an override on that trim.

[1]

Width
1,735 mm

Base A3. The S3 is 1,763 mm; recorded as an override on that trim.

[1]

Height
1,423 mm

Base A3. The S3 is 1,415 mm; recorded as an override on that trim.

[1]

Wheelbase
2,513 mm

Base A3. Quattro and S3 models are 2,519 mm; recorded as an override on the S3 trim.

[1]

Kerb weight
Not yet available

1.8 20v

Trim · 1996–2003 · AGN/APG

Power
92 kW

125 PS at 6,000 rpm, converted at 1 PS = 0.73549875 kW.

[1]

Torque
170 N⋅m

Peak at 4,200 rpm.

[1]

Kerb weight
Not yet available
0–100 km/h
9.6 s

[1]

Top speed
202 km/h

[1]

Fuel economy
Not yet available
CO₂
Not yet available
Drag coefficient
Not yet available
Frontal area
Not yet available
Displacement
1,781 cc

[1]

Boot volume
Not yet available
Seats
5
Engine
inline-4, 20-valve · AGN/APG
Drivetrain
Front-wheel drive

S3

Trim · 2001–2003 · BAM

Power
165 kW

225 PS at 5,900 rpm, converted at 1 PS = 0.73549875 kW. Earlier 1999-2001 S3 cars, without variable valve timing, made 210 PS/154 kW; not recorded as a separate trim here.

[1]

Torque
280 N⋅m

Peak at 2,200 rpm.

[1]

Kerb weight
Not yet available
0–100 km/h
6.6 s

[1]

Top speed
243 km/h

[1]

Fuel economy
Not yet available
CO₂
Not yet available
Drag coefficient
Not yet available
Frontal area
Not yet available
Displacement
1,781 cc

[1]

Boot volume
Not yet available
Seats
5
Engine
inline-4 turbo, 20-valve, variable valve timing · BAM
Drivetrain
All-wheel drive

Sources & confidence

Every figure above carries a status. Nothing on this page is estimated without saying so, and nothing missing has been filled in with a guess.

Last verified
2026-09-08
Review status
Compiled from cited sources

Photography on this page is credited on each image. Tap theion a photograph for its author, licence and source.

References

Every sourced figure and every cited claim on this page, numbered. Wikipedia articles record the revision they were read at, because the article will have changed by the time you check it.

  1. [1]

    Audi A3. Wikipedia · revision 1373603565 · read 2026-09-08

    WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

    Covers all four A3 generations in one article, with per-generation infoboxes and specification tables.